Visiting the Cascais Coast
Stretched out to the west of Lisbon, the enchanting Cascais Coast (sometimes affectionately referred to as the ‘Portuguese Riviera’) is brimming with leisure activities and wide-ranging tourist appeal.
Wild at Heart
The Iberian wolf might be an endangered species but several of them can be seen roaming free at the Centro de Recuperação do Lobo Ibérico (CRLI) near Mafra in central Portugal.
The Historic Village of Sintra
Lying at the east end of a rocky range of mountains just 26 kilometres west of Lisbon, the fairy-tale setting of Sintra is one of the oldest and most charming places in southern Europe.
Magnificent Mafra
Comprising a palace, monastery and church, the vast royal edifice of Mafra is one of the largest historical buildings in Europe and a must-see monument for people visiting the Greater Lisbon area.
The Roman City of Cetóbriga
Facing the sheltered Sado Estuary south of Lisbon, the old Roman port city of Cetóbriga was engulfed by the sea following a huge earthquake and subsequent tidal waves in 412 AD.
Sintra’s Pena Palace
One of Portugal’s most striking architectural landmarks is the Romantic-style palace commissioned in the first half of the 19th century by D. Fernando of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on the site of an old 16th-century convent.
Fit for a Queen
Enveloped in a Moorish wall, the diminutive whitewashed village of Óbidos was deemed so enchanting that it was gifted to a queen, not once but many times throughout the centuries.
The Setúbal Peninsula
The great suspension bridge over the River Tagus opens the route to the scenic wonders of Lisbon’s southern shoreline, but the attractions are by no means confined to the coast.
The Beautiful Blue Coast
Conveniently located just to the south of Lisbon, the enchanting Setúbal Peninsula (aka the Costa Azul, or Blue Coast) exudes much of the rare authenticity that still abounds in the more rural parts of 21st-century Portugal.
The Beach Town of Carcavelos
Located midway between Lisbon and Cascais, just 15 minutes west of the Portuguese capital, the seaside resort of Carcavelos is a lively, cosmopolitan place with a long, golden stretch of sandy beach flying the coveted Blue Flag.
A Tale of Two Monasteries
When the renowned English travel writer William Beckford visited Portugal (his favourite European country) in the late-18th century, he happened upon two of the shiniest jewels in the country’s tourism crown – the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça.
The Town of Alcácer do Sal
Fringed by salt-flats and paddy-fields, Alcácer do Sal is an old port town on the Sado River about 90 kilometres south-east of Lisbon.